Workaholic
by InuSoruYamuWho
Summary: How do you juggle school, being a Personal Assistant, and living your life? You don't. But maybe the Grumps can help me try before I lose my mind. A slow burn story of eventual romance. LARGE age gap. If you don't like that stuff, don't read!
1. Chapter 1

I could never count myself as lucky. I as the type of person that applied for hundreds of scholarships and would never be awarded any of them. I could try out for thousands of contests online or in person and be skipped by one or two numbers. Heaven help me if I ever developed a gambling issue. That's why it was such a shock to get the message. My Youtube channel had no icon, no posts, I rarely even commented or liked other people's videos. I was awkward and antisocial, and only entered the drawing on a whim.

_Hey I'm Grump, and I'm Not So Grump! And you, won, the drawing!_

The opportunity was an all expenses paid, week long trip to visit the Game Grumps at their studio in California. I would be on their gaming channel, take part in the ten minute power hour, and get an exclusive behind the scenes tour of a Ninja Sex Party video. It sounded too good to be true. I thought it was a scam. I disregarded it for 24 hours before I took a closer look.

_Please contact Scuze for the logistics at the following number: xxx-xxx-xxxx_

I sat down on the couch after getting back from school. Both of my roommates were still at work so I had some time to myself. I needed some kind of distraction to avoid the impending mountain of homework that was waiting for me in my bag. But first, pajamas! I was feeling Snorlax today. After throwing on the hood to try and hide my Fluff (read: hair) from the world, I settled in and pulled the message back up on my phone.

I suppose calling the number wouldn't be...too terrible. It would help me verify if I was being scammed, and if I was I could always just avoid answering my phone for a couple days. I still refused to be hopeful. Things like this didn't happen to me. It felt ...sketchy. Maybe that was just the day's fourth cup of coffee ramping up my paranoia. Whatever. I picked up my phone to call "Scuze's" number.

"Hello, Suzy here!" answered a chipper voice from the other end of the line. "Game Grumps headquarters, who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?"

I almost forgot to speak. I'm pretty sure I forgot how to breathe. "U-um yes hi? My name is Laura? I got a private message on Youtube telling me to call this number. Something about winning the Game Grumps raffle, contest, drawing...thing?" My god why was everything a questing in that statement. Where did my confidence go? Nice work Laura let the scammers know you have no clue what you're doing. I proceeded to roll around on my bed in mental agony.

"Oh! You're Twisted Sister! I was waiting for your call! Normally people respond immediately, I was getting a little concerned the boys had picked a bot or something." I paused in my rolling. This...no longer sounded like a scam. Was she making a jab at how long it took me to respond? Well shit now I felt bad. Sitting up, I decided to pay a little more attention to what she was saying before I missed something important. "Anyways, yeah! Congratulations on winning the drawing! I'll be honest, the boys saw the name Twisted Sister and it kinda...made them biased I won't lie. But yeah! We are all super excited to meet you Laura!"

"Great, great, can I just say I'm really glad this isn't a scam? I really never win things like these, and I got the notification during class, and couldn't check straight away-"

"Woah woah easy there, class? If you don't mind me asking, how old are you? If you're under 18 we need a parent's permission to-" Suzy interrupted. Well shit. I didn't like the concern in her tone. Unfortunately I started rambling in response to her question.

"I'm 22? I'm in college. Working on getting my Bachelors. It's the voice isnt it. I know I sound like a child on the phone, but you should see me in person. You wouldn't believe how hard it is for me to buy a bottle of wine. If get carded one more time for seeing a rated R movie i'm going to scream." I hoped she could tell that I was joking around. Mostly. And that she believed I was an actual legal adult. I started worrying one of my Snorlax ears with my fingers. The soft material was comforting. God I felt like a child in trying to convince her I wasn't.

"Oh thank goodness, I don't think any of us are qualified to watch children. Nor should we be. Just earlier I broke up an argument about whether skittles had actual different flavors on the inside. Needless to say, Danny might have actually killed Ross if I hadn't stepped in." The level of exasperation in her tone made me giggle. I felt like I could relax around this woman that I had only ever spoken to once and it was on the phone. She had an air of honesty around her that felt refreshing. People were allowed to be annoyed or angry. Fake personalities were exhausting.

"Well I'll make sure to pack my ID, just in case." I said between snickers. "And between you and me? The skittles flavoring is in the colors themselves. The insides are all the same. I don't know if you should tell Danny or Ross though. They might get into an actual fist fight this time."

"Oh man I can tell we are going to be great friends Laura."


	2. Chapter 2

The rest of the week went by in a blur to be honest. I spoke logistics with Suzy, drank some coffee, did homework, changed into normal clothes again to go to work, and repeated that process six more times. I really just run on coffee and intermittent existential crises to be honest. But my roommates couldn't tell so I am assuming the undereye bags and anxiety are normal. When I told them about the contest they were understandably...against it. I would be going alone, to another state, to meet strangers i had only seen online and spoken to on the phone. Quite frankly I felt pressured to stay because of them. But I had already made up my mind, and didn't want to inconvenience the Grumps team by having them pay for tickets and I cancel last minute.

I had to deal with a lot of silent treatment after that argument. It was terrible and I couldn't really handle it. At all. I chose to work some overtime to try and hide from their disapproving stares. Besides the extra money would help me survive in California for a week.

My coworkers all said it was good for me to go. That I needed to take a break. A vacation from everyone, including my roommates. A small part of me was offended at the amount of dislike that my housemates had garnered. I knew that they liked having control of situations. It was something that I had learned to live with. I had fun with them every day. And if there were some bad days in between, well, I'm sure I take out my frustrations on them as much as they do me.

There was a larger part of me though. One that I normally ignored that thinks otherwise. It whispers in my ear that the control is too much. That I was my own person and didn't need their approval on every little thing. That I was young and free and capable of having a life outside of work and school. That part usually got me in trouble. It was why my phone would get checked every once in a while. Why I wasn't allowed to have a snapchat or an instagram. Why I had to carefully phrase my messages to others so I could still speak to them. Why I never referred to anyone other than them as my friends.

I sat there in the breakroom with my hands in my hoodie and my AirPods in. I wanted to take a nap before I had to go back out there, but my mind kept repeating the same thing over and over. If only you didn't have to work so hard. What are you doing it for? Who are you doing it for? Over and over until it drowned out my music, and my heartbeat, and my-

**Hey Laura it's Suzy! Did you save my number in your phone?**

I jolted out of whatever mind cage I was trapped in. Grateful for the distraction. I spent a few seconds trying to remember who Suzy was, and why I needed to save her number.

**Hey Suzy, of course I saved your number in my phone. Wait, was that creepy? I wasn't going for creepy. Just like...efficient?**

I waited while internally kicking myself in the face. Yeah Laura pose the idea of being creepy to someone who is literally paying for you to meet them. Good plan. Great plan.

**Lol no not creepy at all. By the way everyone at the office is so excited to meet you! We...may have looked at your facebook page to verify that you weren't a serial killer in disguise.**

Fuck what was on my Facebook again? I never really post anything anymore. I never have time. Or, really go anywhere.

**Danny said that if you don't bring your Pikachu kigurumi to pajama night on Wednesday you two can't be friends :P**

I paused. Re-reading the message. Fuck they saw my profile picture. Second, they laughed at my profile picture and now I want to die. Third, they say my profile picture, laughed, and demanded I bring said outfit with me?

**You there? Did we scare you with the facebook stalking?**

Shit how long was I internally disassociating again?

**I'm still here! Sorry Suzy, I'm at work and you know how managers are about phones lol**

**Do you want me to bring the Snorlax and hamster ones too lolol**

Fuck it, might as well go all in. I put my phone back in my pocket without waiting for a reply. I wasn't sure my heart could take all of this excitement. I got up to go back out on the floor when I felt my pocket buzz.

**OMG Hey its Danny**

**Plz bring all Kigus on trip**

**Suzy taking phone baa;oigi;j**

**Fucking Danny stole my phone my bad. Bring whatever you want to wear that's comfortable Kigurumis or not. I gotta go beat some sense into the boys. TTYL**

Um. I know it was entirely one sided, and I really didn't respond but, did Danny from Game Grumps just message me about my choice in pajamas? I tried to school my face back flat, and if I didn't succeed and refused to explain the goofy grin on my face the rest of my shift well...let's just blame it on the caffeine.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey Suze, I'm on the plane now. We should be taking off any minute. I can't believe you put me first class!**

Over the rest of the few weeks before my scheduled departure, I got to know Suzy, and by extension the Grumps, quite well. We hadn't Skype called each other or anything, but little texts here and there really helped us open up. The boys would steal her phone from time to time and it was great to hear from them. Be it only for a few seconds until Suzy recovered her phone.

Danny would message me through her to ask me about mundane things. Favorite video games, if my favorite band was Twisted Sister. I told him I liked all games that had a decent story to them, and that Twisted Sister was my gateway drug to how I discovered NSP. He sent me back several emojis before Suzy sent him back to work. She seemed like a wonderful hybrid of mother and taskmaster that I could appreciate. Her husband, Arin, was a lucky man. And he knew it too. One time I sent Suzy a stuffed lamb that I had found online. I guess she showed it to Arin because I immediately received a response in all caps:

**OH MY GOD IF I SEND YOU MONEY I NEED YOU TO BUY THIS FOR SUZY**

**HOW MUCH IS IT I NEED IT FOR SUZY**

**I WILL GIVETHEMONY TO SUZY HOW MUCH OD YOU NEED!**

At this point I was dying in the middle of class and frantically clicking the link so I could find the price of this lamb for Arin so he would stop having a heart attack. After providing said information i received several thank yous in various forms of misspelling and a phone call from Suzy in which her laughter barely drowned out the sound of Arin screaming in excitement in the background.

I leaned back in my overpriced plane seat, chuckling at the memory. They would have been great friends to have growing up. So eager to please one another when they found something related to hobbies and thought was sobering when compared to how I left my roommates this morning. I glanced down at the unread messages on my phone. Their angry white blocks on my lock screen vowing impending doom when I finally came back home. If I could go back home. I preferred not to think about it. It took a lot of will power and panic attacks in my room to disobey their wishes. I realized that's what it was after Jared exploded one night.

I had been getting passive aggressive messages and phone calls all week about how i wasn't ready to be left alone. That I was untrustworthy and would get up to trouble. He didn't like how familiar I already was with everyone and wanted me to block them. When I told him no, is when he lost his temper.

"Why can't you just fucking do as your told, keep your goddamn head down, and focus on work and school?!" There was a sickening silence after that. I tried not to cry. I had only come downstairs to get more coffee before retreated back into my room to do homework. Without a word i grabbed my shoes, wallet, and keys and walked out the front door. He tried to call me several times that day. Thankfully work allowed me to come in for a couple hours until I was too tired to keep a fake smile on my face. By the time I had returned home, everyone was asleep, and I had more notifications on my phone than I felt like dealing with. That was the day before I was set to leave. I had to drive myself to the airport.

The thought brought tears to my eyes and I tried to hold them in. Today was the day I got to meet the Game Grumps in person! One of the luckiest points in my life! I took time off for this, finished homework early for this, and here i am having a panic attack before the plane can even take off.

**OMG Laura we are so excited! I'll be at the baggage claim when you lang ok? Have a safe flight, try not to do homework! Maybe play some minecraft? Watch a netflix movie?**

**Danny said there's this super raunchy show called Outlander that you "have got" to try.**

**Arin said its straight smut so…**

**I guess if you like that stuff?**

**I might watch it later tbh ;P**

How it it one message can lift my spirits so high? I couldn't wait to meet everyone. I opted to settle in and try to sleep. They never had good coffee on plane rides so I would have to deal with my exhaustion until I could hunt down a starbucks in California. Oh well. I closed my eyes to the sound of the flight attendants teaching people how to buckle their seatbelts. Snuggling further into my hogwarts jacket, I turned up the music on my airpods and proceeded to drown out everything. Unless we were falling out of the sky no one had better wake me up or there would be hell to pay.


	4. Chapter 4

You know those scenes in films where the person is wandering around the airport and some random individual is holding a sign with their name on it? It's designed for you to find your chauffeur in case there is a language barrier? At first I thought I was being extended the same courtesy when I finally spotted Susie. She wore a giant pair of black sunglasses, was covered in tattoos, and held a giant white sign in her hands. I wanted to be touched. Really. My heart was swelling with warm fuzzies as I walked closer. When I was within a few yards though my smile died on my face.

_Welcome back from prison Laura! We already hid all the needles in the house!_

"What."

With that single word uttered once I was within earshot, Suzie proceeded to almost fall over laughing. I immediately asked which of the two's idea it was to make the sign. She refused to rat them out. Pity. Now I have to generalize my revenge.

Prank aside, Suzy hugged me like we were old acquaintances. Which was strangely refreshing. I couldn't remember the last time I received a real hug from my housemates. Even when I asked for one directly. I put the thought out of my mind. I was there to have fun and meet my idols! That was it! Idly I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I quickly whipped it out and let my roommates know I landed safely without reading what they had sent.

"Everything good over there?" Suzy asked, oblivious to my, not necessarily inner turmoil, but I suppose negative musings.

"Oh yeah for sure! Just letting my people back home know I landed safely and wasn't currently swimming with fishes."

"Laura...you flew over land?" Suzy asked, confused and trying to hold in giggles.

"Land. Sharks. Don't mess with the bit, i've already committed to it!" I replied with mock severity. Thankfully she saw the humor behind my eyes and finally broke down into more giggles. "Suzy! You're revealing the method to my madness! How do I know Dan and Arin aren't around the corner texting you to put me back on a plane because i'm not funny?! Next they're going to put me on the same level as Ross and then what am I supposed to do?" At this point there's tears streaming down Suzy's face and she snorted a little in her efforts to calm down.

"Oh my god stop I told you I came alone! Those two idiots are recording a video right now. I think they're on episode 70 of Toilet Princess. Who knows. What I do know is if I get back to another broken controller i'm scalping both of them. Starting with Dan. It'll be more satisfying to watch."

"My god Suzie, feed into my violent tendencies why don't you? Sheesh. My inner Dahmer is tickled pink." Suzie chuckled at that. After wiping her eyes she finally took a good look at me.

"Holy shit you were right. You do look super young!" Her surprise made me cringe a little. Was it the Harry Potter jacket? Or the super dramatic travel bags that looks like a 2 year old's scrapbook drawer vomited all over everything. "You almost look so young, it's obvious that you're not!"

"Do you uh, need to see my ID after all? It's the glasses isn't it? See I told myself I shouldn't wear the extra large pair, but then I was like naah the bigger the lenses, the cooler you'll look you know? It's a hipster thing. They'll totally like me more if I have glass covering two thirds of my face." I was rambling. She knew I was. But she let me get it all out. Suzy was cool like that. Apparently Arin has ADD so she was used to the hyperactive behavior. I'd go get myself checked out but… I was poor. And rent was due that week.

When I was finished talking and receded into myself, Suzy chose to speak up. "Laura, I had to get your ID to book your ticket remember? I already knew what you looked like. We also stalked you on Facebook from day one. But anyways, let's quit attracting attention and get you boarded up for the night okay?" Suzy finished up while wrapping her arm around my shoulder. "Are you hungry?"

"Honestly?" I replied while shouldering my bags. "I could really use some Starbucks. Airplane coffee is fucking vile." That got Suzie laughing again. "What? I need caffeine. It's not like i'll be sleeping anytime soon anyways."

"Laura it's like...midnight in Texas. How are you not tired?"

"I normally work overnight on Sundays. So i'll take a nap for 3 hours when I get home and then get ready for the overnight job." I was super casual about it because I was used to it. Apparently that was the wrong answer.

"Wait aren't you in class three days a week?"

"Yeah?'

"How do you have time to sleep?" Suzy was incredulous and staring at me over her sunglasses.

"I normally don't. I'll take naps but my diet consists of processed foods and various forms of caffeine. I usually just go until I can't anymore. My housemates will make sure I get up on time for work though so it's usually ok."

"Why don't they let you sleep in if you're crashing that hard? And when was the last time you drank some water!" It took Suzie a second to notice how uncomfortable I was. "You know what? Its late. I don't even think Starbucks is open right now. Let's get you checked into your hotel, go over your day tomorrow, and there should be some kind of coffee machine in your hotel room okay?"

"Thanks Suze. I'm really excited, I swear, I just don't think I'm ready to delve into all of that right now."

"Of course! Let's go! My Mini is outside. It's actually awesome that we're leaving now. I don't want the fangirls to start appearing out of nowhere."


	5. Chapter 5

Suzie wanted me to sleep in today. "Technically this is a vacation which means you shouldn't have to get up early. You're too young to waste your vacation time!" An argument that I vehemently refused. Why on earth would I waste half of my day sleeping when I won a trip to visit my idols? We finally agreed that Suzie would pick me up from the hotel lobby at ten the following day. With that, and a threat if I didn't make sure to eat breakfast with my first of many cups of morning coffee, she left to check on her boys and head home to sleep.

I remember falling on the large bed and suddenly missing my room in Texas. No one but me would go in there and it was a warm, dark, cave-like place. Which admittedly sounds really unappealing, but when you spend most of your waking moments studying, going to school, or working. You learn to appreciate your own designated space - cave. Even when I had down time, I was never really able to go to my room without being questioned or accused of doing something "sneaky." Constantly remaining in the presence of someone and never left to your own devices leaves you on edge more often than not. You're stuck wondering if it _is_ a good idea to be left on your own.

I drifted away to thoughts like these. Missing and also Not-missing home. Wondering what tomorrow would be like. And where the fuck I was going to get a decent dose of caffeine.

I woke up the next day to my alarm going off. Nothing like Erasure's Always to put a smile on your face. It reminded me of my Amazon Echo at home and I was instantly reminded of where I was and why.

"Holy shit what the fuck am I supposed to wear to this fucking thing?!" I could feel the panic setting in.

**SUZY**

No reply. I started scrambling to my travel bags, throwing the keychains and stuffed dragon ball out of the way. I had to experience the torture of indesiciveness for ten minutes before she called me.

"Hey kid what's up?" Her nonchalance over the phone was a direct contrast to my hyperactive panic.

"Suzy, pardon my french, but what the fuck do I wear to this kind of shit?" That prompted her laughter, and I heard her move to another room and close the door.

"Ok I have to ask a couple questions first." She began. "Do you have a crush on anyone there?"

"What? No? I look up to them? Except Borf…"

"What." Suzie's deadpan immediate response made the joke worth it.

"I'm joking! He's too much of a daddy's boy." That prompted a genuine laugh that seemed to echo through the phone. "But in all seriousness, no i don't have a crush on anyone there except that wall of Amiibos. Maybe Dan's hair when he straightened it for a ten minute power hour."

"Dude how do you remember all these little details that we only mentioned once or twice!? You know what? I've decided that it's just a quirk. Now that I know you don't have a crush on anyone, I can safely say you can wear regular underwear! See that's one layer of clothing down!" I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I sat down on my bed and perused my undergarment pocket. I had only packed cute underwear to be honest. Half the time I avoided wearing underwear unless it was during "that" time of the month. But she didn't need to know my limited need for panties in general, I tended to splurge.

"Let's see. Go with something blue." Decided Suzy.

"Why blue?" I asked. Confused but also pulling the sky blue set out of my bag.

"Well it's Dan's favorite color! I would tell you Arin's but he's already taken so there's really no point in trying that hard." Suzy said. I could hear the humor in her voice. She could probably tell I was having a mental aneurysm on the other end of the line.

"Suzy! Why the hell do I need to wear underwear that caters to Dan's tastes? I don't plan on flashing anyone! This is a meet and greet not a meet and fuck! Also i'm practically child sized. No one's going to want any of this until I don't look like jailbait." That last was said as more of a bitter joke, but I hoped that Suzy hadn't noticed it.

She did. I could tell in her voice. But she mercifully chose not to bring up the subject any further. "Nonsense! You're adorable! Consider it more of a...backup! In case shit hits the fan you can blind them with a sexy thong and run out the back door!" That made me laugh. I could see it now, I accidentally mess up somehow with my words and immediately pull my pants down, stunning them long enough for me to escape! Like a hidden Pokemon move no one talks about because it was censored for the United States. Stupid censorship. But how did she know I had picked a thong?! Must have been a Suzy quirk.

"Ok well I think we have the underwear covered Suzy, what about the rest of me? I wasn't planning to bust out a Kigu until movie night!"

"_Suzyyyyy why have you been in the bathroom for so long? Are you broken? Do you need lady thiiings? _No hon! I was making some last minute adjustments with Laura before she headed over here! Thanks though! Gosh Dan is such a sweetheart." She sighed, addressing me again. "Did you pack band shirts like I suggested? And skinny jeans?"

"Yeah that's like...most of my wardrobe. Plus minus the hoodies." I responded. Already searching for my skinniest jeans and pulling out my violet converse. I contemplated for a moment and put them back in my shoe bag. Instead I grabbed the grey reflective high tops. God these shoes were beautiful. One of my most prized possessions, and the cheapest shoes in my collection.

"You are the only person I know who uses math terms in general conversations. I really think your major is a great fit for you regardless of how much you hate it." Suzy sounded falsely exasperated which made me smile. "Anyways, we are all super casual here so just dress like you're going to class and maybe bring a jacket. The office can get cold sometimes since Dan has the 'thing' you know? We want everyone to feel comfortable here. Well I gotta get going so I can finish setting up your transportation, but I'll see you when you get here ok? You've got one hour before you need to be down in the lobby, and I swear you better have eaten or i will personally shove a bagel down your throat. Dry."

"First of all, ew? Who eats bagels dry. And secondly, I thought you were picking me up? Who's picking me up? Can I eat in the car?" I was more than a little confused. It was bad enough that I was in a hotel relying on people I barely knew to provide transportation, but now my safety was put in the hands of a stranger? Yikes. Queue panic mode.

"Relax, he works with us too! Super trustworthy guy. Just doesn't talk all that much. It's a surprise okay? I promise you'll love it. I just want to give you the ultimate Grump experience!  
And yes you can eat in the car, just no crumbs ok?

"Fine. I don't like it but fine. I only have one last question. Can we stop by Starbucks?"


	6. Chapter 6

"Shut the fuck up. Brian? Like, Ninja Brian?" I stared dumbstruck at the couch currently occupied by The Ninja Brian sans mask. He still carried the stoic expression, but I could see the entertainment in his eyes. "Holy shit." No response. "You really don't talk do you?" Still silence. This time with a raised eyebrow. "Ok well, I hope you're ok with me rambling. I'm kinda incapable of shutting up. But like I can't believe it's you! Suzy said my person wouldn't talk much but I never expected she meant like, Ninja Brian levels of not talking much," I kept talking as I pulled out a togo bag with cookies in it. Suzy said I had to eat, she just didn't specify what i needed to be eating. I took advantage of the loophole, "you have no idea how much I wanted to meet you!"

I paused so I could bite a cookie and adjust the, currently empty, venti coffee cup in my arms. I could see Brian brace himself for the onslaught of fan questions that he would no doubt answer by staring silently until the tirade ended. "Why don't we continue this conversation in the car? I don't want Suzy getting mad because I held us up from talking so much."

Brian shrugged and started making his way to the exit. I took that as my queue to follow.

When we were finally settled in the car, and I had ingested four more cookies, I tried speaking again. "Mr. Brian, um Ninja, Sir." I began, already feeling like an idiot. "I just wanted you to know that I am really grateful to meet you and I was wondering if, and I know you don't talk, but I wanted to know if maybe," shit he was starting to look impatient. It was in his eyes. I could tell, "you could tell me about your life before NSP?"

That caught him by surprise. He glanced over at me with both eyes raised. Almost as if to ask if he had heard me correctly. I figured I would have to pretend he was responding with words otherwise the conversation would be a lot more one-sided than I would have liked.

"Well you see, i'm a Math major, and I used to be a Physics major, and I know that you used to be a professor in theoretical physics, but no one really ever mentions how that was or if you even liked what you did, or what you studied." It felt like I was rambling again, so I paused and gave Brian time to process. When I finally looked up from my lap I saw an actual. Smile. A real smile on The Ninja Brian's face! Had I died and just not noticed?

"No one, and I literally mean no one, has ever asked me about my career before Ninja Sex Party," began Brian. Holy fucking shit he speaks! He spoke to me! My brain broke down for a second. What the fuck? Apparently I said that last part out loud seeing as Brian started laughing. "I suppose I could break character this one time. I suppose it's a special occasion. Let's get you that Starbucks and we can talk a little more?"

I looked out the window to see that we were indeed parked outside of Starbucks. I hadn't noticed while I was in shock that we are already almost to the Grumps headquarters. "Fuck. Yes! Lets go, I need more caffeine. My third cup is already wearing off." I was already leaving the car and opening my Starbucks app before Brian unbuckled his seatbelt. "Come on Brian! I wish you had told me we are stopping here, it would be pre-ordered and ready by the time we pulled up!" If Brian had burst out laughing whilst I sped walked into the building, I pretended not to notice. Coffee brings out a different kind of confidence I suppose.

"...and the Proton said, 'I'm positive!'" I snickered, as we pulled into the parking space. Brian was outright laughing his ass off at this point. Another win for me. I logged the instance in my brain for review later. We had a really great conversation while waiting for my coffee. He told me about how he studied theoretical particle physics and the relationship between valence electrons, electron clouds, and how the manipulation of the two could alter the properties of atoms. Really interesting stuff. It also prompted a battle of science jokes, which I am proud to admit, I won!

"What the fuck Laura that was the cheesiest joke ever! How much caffeine did you have in your system when you came up with that one?"

"Excuse you professor, not even Stephen Hawking could quantify that if you gave him a T-5000."

"That's a Terminator model Jesus Christ!" Brian started guffawing as we walked in the door. And that's how we stunned the whole entire office into silence.

"I'm sorry, Ninja Brian. Are you _laughing_? You broke character!? Laura, I wanted you to meet him, not break him!" Suzy was incredulous as she stood by the door. The rest of the group stared at me with wide eyes.

"Hey, you introduced a Math addict, to an ex-physicist. What the fuck did you expect would happen?!" At this point, Brian had calmed down enough to speak again.

"Guys relax! And pick your jaws up off the floor please? I will stab all of you, and I'd rather not ruin the kid's image of me right after I promised to help her with her homework later."

"...YOU DID WHAT?!"

"Oh! Hey Danny, Arin, this is Laura. She won the Grump contest. Laura this is Danny, Arin, Ross, and the rest of the Grump company. And of course you know Suzy already." Brian headed over to one of the many bean bag chairs scattered around the room. "You guys make it seem like the world is ending. I talk all the time! Laura come sit down, take a load off, drink your coffee!"

"What the fuck just happened?" Asked Suzy. "Laura what did you do to Brian?"

"I only asked him about school stuff...and physics stuff...ok and murdery stuff but only a little of that last one. I didn't want to trigger him while he was behind the wheel of a car." I walked over to the fuzzy bean bag chair next to Brian's. "Suzy, what's wrong with Dan and Arin? They keep staring." There was nothing like fresh Starbucks in the morning and several chocolate chip cookies to fuel a confidence boost. Internally though, I was screaming. I had attracted waaay too much attention. I think Brian could tell.

"Hello, earth to Megatron? We have company and you all are just staring at her!"

Danny was the first to snap out of it. "Shit. Fuck. Sorry. Come on Brian you have to admit, you talking to new people doesn't really happen as fast as today. Um, Hi. I'm Danny, as you must already know, i'm the lead singer of Ninja Sex Party, and sitting next to you is Ninja Brian. Who has now declared you as a rival for best friend…" Danny got an eye roll at that last comment.

"Wow," I began, "can I ask a question before we continue?" Danny nodded and started walking towards me. "Um, what are you doing?"

"Well I figured you wanted to touch my hair. It's the first question everyone asks me."

"Uh no?" I said, appalled. "That's just rude? Oils are so bad for your hair texture why would I do that?" He looked at me quizzically and veered off to my left to sit on the couch facing me.

"Ok, shoot then. Guys, come sit down before you intimidate the poor thing. Are you hungry?"

"No thanks, I already ate some cookies on the way." Suzy gave a growl of disapproval that insured I was going to get an earful about this later. "What!? It counts! Anyways, I wanted to know which you liked more. Old or new Skittles " I asked while reaching in to my Kingdom Hearts backpack. God I loved how big it was. I could fit a whole decapitated head in there. Much to Brian's delight. I pulled out a bag of each type and presented them to Danny.

"Dude what the fuck?" Arin exclaimed." She already knows how to bribe us!?" Everyone laughed out loud at that. Danny's eyes lit up and he looked at me with an unreadable mix of respect, awe, and something else.

"Shit um, what a loaded question."

"Good thing I brought both kinds then. You can have them. There's more in my room at the hotel." I was completely nonchalant as I handed over both extra large bags of Skittles to the fluffy haired man. Danny accepted them almost reverently and sat them to the side. "Thanks Laura! I'd eat them now but...I'm sure you don't want to see me gorge myself on candy this early...in the…" He trailed off as I pulled a Mexican mango lollipop out my bag and proceeded to stick it in my mouth. What can I say? There's never a bad time for a dose of Sucrose.

"Laura! When I said eat, I meant real fucking food you candy whore!" Suzy practically screeched. It prompted Arin to pat her shoulder distractedly before wandering over to sit next to Dan. "I'm making toast and you're eating three slilces, no arguments!"

"Fiiine Mom! Sheesh not my fault you left a loophole." I muttered before turning my attention to Arin who tried to hide his curiosity. "Hi Arin." I smiled.

"Uh, hey. I'm Arin, which we've established. I'm kinda in charge around here? But let's admit it, we all know who the real boss is. Welcome to the office, and congratulations on winning the favor of both members of NSP" he finished with a chuckle.

"Don't worry, I brought you a present too. I bet you already have these but, I found some Amiibos that I figured you could add to your wall." I pulled out a mini bag from the main pocket.

"OH MY GOD IS THAT A MEGA YARN YOSHI?" Arin screamed peeking in the top of the bag. He immediately started bouncing in his seat. "These shits are so expensive! Laura! What?!" Brian and Arin started laughing at his antics, thoroughly entertained by the grown man fangirling over figurines.

"Ok but open the bag? There's more than one in there." I said laughing.

"Lauraaaa holy shit you didn't hav-IS THAT A DUAL CANNON SAMUS WHAT THE FUCK HOW DID YOU GET THIS!?" Arin looked like he was about to fall over. Even Brian was concerned underneath the laughter. I suppose no one wanted Arin to fall over. Which he looked like he was about to do. At least he was still sitting down. "Laura. This shit is so expensive! You didn't have to!"

I shrugged. "Meh. So many people get you presents that look cool, yeah, but I wanted to give you something that catered to both of your likes. I already gave Ninja Brian his present in the car." I gestured to the face mask Brian had put on. It only covered his mouth and had a shuriken with vector lines emitting from it. "I figured I'd give everyone else their presents throughout the week. There's only so much I can fit in my bag, unfortunately. Do you like them?"

I expected a high five, maybe some words of gratitude. I wasn't prepared for Arin to rush over, and leaving his bag with Danny, and pull me into a hug. He kept chanting Thank yous over and over as he spun me around until Suzy walked in inquiring about all the commotion. The rest of the team laughed as Arin babbled about the toys and I settled back into my seat. I got a head pat from Brian as I settled in and a fist bump from Dan too.

"Well shit guys I think Laura out did us with first impressions. Good thing we have a whole week to make it up to her!" Exclaimed Danny raising his hands in defeat. I laughed excited for the day's events. Danny looked over at me, there was respect and a twinkle of playfulness in his brown eyes.

"I dunno guys, I'm pretty tough to please," I said, taking a sip out of my Starbucks cup, "think you can handle it?" I asked, making eye contact.

Danny smirked.

"Challenge accepted."


	7. Chapter 7

The rest of that day went by in a blur. I got a tour of the whole Grump space, was introduced to all of the employees, and even had the honor of choosing where Arin's new Amiibos would go on the wall. I picked the top center but had to get Danny to put them up since I was so short. Arin stroller around happily, rattling nonstop about the inspiration for the design of everything, his plans for the company, and even delved into some of his earlier animation projects after I mentioned his involvement with Axecop.

Danny stayed next to me, mentioning little details that Arin forgot to cover. He seemed to read my mind whenever I had questions. More than happy to let Arin take the lead. His laid back personality made the tour less overwhelming. That, and the fact that Ninja Brian was behind me. I think I was adopted some time between Starbucks and pulling up to the Grump space. I didn't mind though. Brian was cool. Even when he wasn't talking.

Suzy finally managed to grapple me into eating real food around lunch time, and I surprised everyone by eating a whole Chipotle burrito in one sitting. She said it was because I forgot to eat a lot. She might be right. But I'll never admit it. Ninja Brian did make sure to grab some cookies when I wasn't looking. Every time Suzy would leave the room he'd sneak me one with a secret smile. When Dan caught us he started sneaking me Skittles too. I told him I was honored that he shared his candy with me, but both of them were going to give me three more cavities than I came to California with.

"No worries, me and Brian can pick up the bill for your fillings." Danny replied, shoving a handful of Skittles into his own mouth. We were taking a break while Arin prepped the Grump room for a recording. We all agreed that I would watch him and Danny record a video before I took part in production. "So what should we play Laura? Your pick since you're the guest of honor."

"Well shit guys I wasn't ready! You have like...every game known to man in here!" I took a look at both walls of games and systems. "I'm pretty sure you need to make a living document with a list of all your titles so it's easier to keep track of what you own." I paused, wiping the metaphorical drool from my face at the shelf dedicated to nothing but Kingdom Hearts games. "Have y'all actually played Re:Chain of Memories for the PS2?"

"Um no I don't think we have." Replied Arin, who was emerging from the production studio. "Dan and I kinda stopped trying to record Kingdom Hearts because of how long the series would get."

"Yeah I remember you two talking about it during Toilet Princess. Something about you'd rather stream it than record it episodically? I remember you kept falling down the stairs in your puppy form, and somehow the topic came up." I could see the surprise on Danny and Arin's faces. "What? I have a thing for remembering quirky details. Ask Suzy, she's given up on trying to understand how my brain works. Anyways, if you feel like raging for 15 minutes straight, you should try Re: CoM. The battle system leaves...a lot to be desired. That, and because everyone knows just how long Kingdom Hearts plots are, i'm pretty sure you could get away with only posting one or two videos of some boss battles." I sat back down on my chosen bean bag, Brian settling next to me on his, a little keyboard in his lap. I guess he had his own stuff to work on.

"Hey that's not a bad idea. What do you think El Presidente?" Danny asked, referring to Arin who was leaning against the doorframe with a quizzical look on his face.

"I mean think about it guys, imagine how big your fanbase would grow if you broached the massive fandom that is Kingdom Hearts? And Danny you love Disney shit," I began, pulling out the pin I was waiting to give to him, "I for one believe in double dipping into as many fandoms as I can in one sitting." I finished, handing him the blue Gene pin. "That's for you by the way. I got it in Disney a while back and its been hiding in my pin basket for long enough."

Danny accepted the pin with a grin and slid it into his pocket. "I mean, i'm down, what about you Dan? Cool with watching me scream at a tv for a little bit?"

"Sure man, let me grab a couple bottles of water first though. Brian, Laura do you two wanna hang out in the Grump room or what?"

Brian looked at me with a silent question. No wonder he didn't need to speak. His eyebrows spoke volumes. I told him as such earned myself another head pat. Danny shook his head at the display. "I swear i'm getting replaced."

"Of course not Dan! I don't think I could rock the sequined leotard nearly as well as you. And my pelvic thrusting leaves much to be desired. Also I still don't see how you can keep a straight face while singing about heart boners. Side note, who did the animation for that song? It was so cool!"

Suzy came out and surveyed the scene in front of her with fondness. She and I made eye contact over Ninja Brian's head as he, Danny, and Arin discussed a Starbomb topic.

"Are you having fun?" She mouthed. I nodded with a smile and turned my attention back to the boys.

"Ok, I don't think I could laugh quietly enough to be in the room, so I'm cool with watching from the production room. Is that ok Ninja Brian?" I asked looking back at him. I got a nod and another head pat in response. "You just think my hair is fluffy don't you." Another nod and a more aggressive head pat. "Hey! I brushed that this morning! You're gonna give me knooots." I whined. Everyone in the room laughed at me as Brian and I stood up and made our way to the production room. Brian shoved the last of the cookies into my hands as we walked through the doorway. Cavities. I swear.


	8. Chapter 8

"So let me get this straight. You work two jobs, one of which is overnight full time, and you're a full time student? When do you sleep?!" Arin exclaimed from his side of the table. Suzy must have kicked him under the table because the last half of his statement came out several levels quieter than when he began.

We went out to a Thai place down the street for dinner after recording. Sure enough, Arin was screaming by the first boss. "Who the fuck uses cards to attack!? What is this complete Bullshit?!" I found myself crying with laughter, doubled over as Brian patted my back out of concern.

"When I can." I mumbled around another fork full of pasta. "That's why I eat a lot of candy and drink several cups of coffee more than should be humanly possible for a being of my size. Without it, i would just...kinda...die? I dunno." Brian tried to sneak my cup away from my arm until I whacked him with my napkin.

"Well you must make bank then! Why haven't we seen you at any of our events in Houston? I'm sure you could afford them which how much you make."

"My parents don't really...support me at all to be honest? We had a serious falling out a few years back. Now I don't speak to any of them. Not even my siblings. So now I have to pay for rent, my car, and whatever scholarships from school don't cover. That shit stacks up." I spoke nonchalantly about the whole thing, and I think everyone was surprised with the lack of inflection in my tone. As time passed, I realized I didn't have time to focus on the emotional aspect of what happened to me. Sure I had flare ups here and there, but, I couldn't afford to dwell on the situation more than acknowledging it.

Suzy looked like she wanted to leap over the table and hug me, and Arin looked angry. I would say that Brian looked murderous, but that tended to be his natural state so I couldn't tell if my words had affected him or not. I looked to my left to see Danny typing something rapidly on his phone. Seconds later Arin's phone chimed and he glanced at it before up at Danny across from him. Then he leaned over and showed the message to Suzy who started nodding after a few seconds.

"Well, guys this has been fun," Suzy began, completely disregarding the exchange,, "but I think its time for all of us to hit the hay for today. I know Laura's been up for a while and needs her beauty sleep since she's going to be on camera tomorrow." She called the waiter over to get the check and refused to accept my card when I went to pay for my part of the meal. "You're our guest!"

Later on that night I got a text message from Brian. I saved him on my phone as the Ninja emoji with a cookie next to it which seemed fitting. I flopped in my bed and paused Netflix, outright avoiding the mountains of homework I knew loomed over me.

**Kid.**

**Hey Brian, what's up?**

**Did you have fun today?**

**Yeah! Everyone was really nice! Like one big family, even if one of the members doesn't talk all that much :P**

**Yeah yeah make fun of the mute.**

**You're not naturally mute though!**

**Don't make fun of my life choices!**

**You do it for the bit Ninja Brian! Anyways. Are you bored? Is that why you're messaging me so late?**

**No...I just wanted to check in. We all had a lot of fun today, and I figured someone should at least make sure you didn't think we hated you or something…**

**Oh thank god. **I was actually being serious here as I flipped away from my laptop. **I really hoped so. I was on my best behavior, and limited my innuendos to the absolute minimum.**

**Laura. NSP was founded on innuendos? Be yourself!**

**Well yeah, but like...Remember when Danny and Arin had that period where they had to figure out the limits of what was okay to joke about? I only have six days left.**

**Yeah, but we want to get to know the real you, not the fake one you probably use at work…**

**Ow Brian.**

**Ow.**

**Rude**

**Yeah yeah kid, I know your skin is tougher than that. ;P**

**Anyways, i'm tired as shit and we have things to do in the morning. Go to sleep.**

**Yeah, yeah. After this episode Peralta and the Captain went into the witness protection program!**

**Laura...I will stab the television. I make enough money to replace it.**

**Fine! Fine. Sleeping. Night Ninja Brian!**

**Night Kid.**


End file.
